Chasing Down Secrets by Katie Matthews Read Free Book Online Page B

the soldier is grabbing Emmett’s arms harshly and dragging him away. My feet have never moved as fast as they do when I start to sprint after them. I am careful to stay hidden in the bushes. The sky begins to grow dark as I run after them but soon the stars are out and they are gone. Emmett is gone. And I am all alone.

Chapter Eight:
The night brings fear and night terrors. I am unable to stay asleep for more than five minutes before waking up in a cold sweat, my breathing ragged.
The dream always start the same: I am running, it is dark and I cannot see a thing. But I can hear Emmett screaming for me, so I run faster and soon enough I am not moving at all. My feet are, but I am staying in place. Then I see him. Emmett. His face is swollen and bloodied. The soldier is holding a belt covered in Emmett’s dried blood. I open my mouth to scream but nothing comes out. I throw my hands out but something stops me. A wall, only it is not visible. And then Emmett is in a house, tied to a chair. The house goes up in flames. I am allowed to run but by then it is too late and he is dust.
The dream changes each time, but not by much, sometimes he is beaten to death or his throat is slit like my father’s was. And there is nothing I can do to help until it is too late. I wake up screaming for him, begging the soldiers to just come take me already. I am exhausted and numb. I am not numb from cold, it is still warm out. I am numb from my misery. It finally became too much to feel so now, I feel nothing. I continue walking unsure of where to go. I consider going back to the Cavell’s but now that Emmett is gone they will probably hate me.
I know I shouldn’t have brought him and late at night the guilt eats me alive. I am selfish and stupid. And I deserve to be dead. It is my entire fault. The only reason he came was to protect me and now he is gone.
I feel a raindrop land on my arm and then slide down to my hand. I sit under a tree as the rain comes down. The moon is full and high in the sky, but it is hard to see from behind rain clouds. I have to get back to camp; maybe that is where he was brought. But I know deep down that he is gone, it has been around a month since he’s been gone and all I have been doing is wandering
I stand, slowly, that is when it happens. A burning sensation rises from my stomach and I feel the acid coming up my throat before I can stop it. Then the contents of my stomach are on the tree trunk. There is a quiet ringing in my ears and the whole forest begins to spin. I sit back down, cautiously, waiting for a second round to start. But I seem fine. I have no idea what caused my sudden upset stomach. I haven’t eaten anything odd. Then I realize something. It’s been a month. Where is my period? I counted and recounted, I should have gotten it last week. Now I am puking. It can’t be possible. Am I pregnant? I need to see a doctor to know for sure, but I do appear that way. I look down at my stomach, it is barely there, but I can see a slight bulge more than a month ago. There is no way I have been gaining weight, I have been living off of berries that I find on bushes. Everything fits together and if I am then I need to find Emmett more than ever.
My eyes grow heavy as the rain begins to lighten up. I try to come up with a plan but my thoughts are one jumbled mess and soon enough I am sleeping.
The only sound is the heavy falling of my bare feet on the soft ground. I keep sprinting past the same clutter of trees, which makes me suspect that I am going in circles. There is a sense of familiarity to this part of the woods.
Then a new sound comes, long and irregular breathing. Immediately, I know.
“Emmet!” I wail, lunging into the bushes.
The moment my feet leave the ground I am trapped, suspended, in air. My eyes light up with a crazed look. And then I see him. His blue eyes barely open from the swelling. He is shirtless and blood trickles down his once perfect chest. His teeth are coated in a fine